The task of transferring into or out of a bed or a chair can be a difficult task for some elderly, handicapped, and physical therapy patients. Such tasks are particularly difficult for those chronic or terminal patients alone in the home environment. This task could be impossible for some individuals without a care giver or some device to assist them. Family members might not be physically capable of assisting the individual. The full time care givers can be economically prohibitive. The loss of strength, or pain in the lower body, hips, knees, ankles, legs, or feet can significantly affect an individual's ability to perform these simple but necessary tasks. All beds, including hospital beds or chairs, except for those power lift chairs which are very expensive, provide no surface or structure to grasp in order to assist the entry or exiting of the bed or chair. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a device that allows an individual to utilize their upper body strength so as to perform a pulling motion for lifting from the bed or chair. It is generally accepted that the muscle group used for pulling is typically stronger than the group used for pushing.
Various U.S. patents have issued in the past for support apparatus that can be used for the assistance of an individual. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,426, issued on Nov. 2, 1993, to T. Leoutsakos describes a manual support device which is attachable to a bed frame. This manual support apparatus has two primary parts: a planar plate member and at least one support tube. The planar plate member has outside edges for alignment with the side and end rails of a bed frame. The support tube is attached to a planar plate member. As such, this device is a somewhat permanent fixture attached to the existing bed. The upper portion of the frame has a curved and straight configuration. There is a bar angled over the bed for the purpose of assisting the person upwardly from the bed.
International Publication No. WO 82/02832, published on Sep. 2, 1982, shows a bracket for a bed which is intended to allow a person to raise or lower from a bed. This includes one arm which is rotatably connected to a frame. The frame is formed of a series of tubes engaged telescopically to each other. These tubes are supported upwardly from a base which is laid on the floor next to the bed and is attached to the bed frame with a clamp. The arm may be moved by the person in bed between a parallel position over the bed to a parallel position away from the bed.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,668,723, 3,739,793, 3,553,746, and 3,591,874 teach support devices that are used to help people to get up from a particular location. These support devices can be placed under a bed or chair for stability. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,723, issued on Jun. 13, 1972, to F. H. Bratton describes a frame which is partially affixed to a side of a bed. Riser rails are provided which allow the person to be seated at the end of the bed. The riser rails can be detachably connected to the frame. U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,793, issued on Jun. 19, 1973, to A. B. Wilson shows an aid for use in sitting down or standing up from the side of a bed. This frame has a pair of J-shaped legs extending from the bottom of the bed. The end of these legs are connected to a frame supported beneath the bottom of the bed. The entire apparatus is slidable to a position beneath the bed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,553,746, issued on Jan. 12, 1971, to H. W. Seiger shows another type of support device for helping a person out of bed. The support device includes a H-shaped base having an arm extending upwardly therefrom. The arm has a handle at an end opposite the base so as to provide for grasping leverage by the person in bed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,874, issued on Jul. 13, 1971, to N. A. O'Kennedy provides a structural aid for an invalid so that the invalid can be properly lifted from the seated position to a standing position. A base is provided that supports an arm above the base.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus that effectively assists an individual to raise from or lower to a bed and/or chair.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus that is portable and easy to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus that can be readily adapted for use in conjunction with a chair and/or a bed.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a support apparatus that is easy to manufacture and relatively inexpensive.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.